By Fernando Kallas
AASEN, Germany (Reuters) - Spain have looked in imperious form in their four straight wins so far at Euro 2024, giving their eagerly anticipated quarter-final match-up with hosts Germany on Friday the air of a "final before the final".
The squad have moved on from the possession-based "tiki-taka" style that helped them win the World Cup and back-to-back European Championships over a decade ago to a ferociously attacking approach over a year under the guidance of manager Luis de la Fuente.
This transformation may have surprised many fans, but players like midfielder Mikel Merino have seen it coming for almost a decade, as have many of his teammates.
"We've known each other for a long time. It is probably the tightest group I have been in and I think this is our main strength - the brotherhood and team spirit," Merino told Reuters on Wednesday.
"We are all focused on the main goal which is to win the Euros. Nobody here is selfish. We all want the team to succeed, that's what makes us truly a great team."
When Merino describes the bond in Spain's changing room he is not exaggerating: Over half of their squad in Germany have previously worked with De la Fuente in their national academy system.
Their dominant displays at the tournament are the result of a long-term project that manager Luis de la Fuente has been working on for a decade as head coach of Spain's teenagers before taking charge of the national team.
"It is a huge advantage for us," Merino said.
"I have been in here with Luis Enrique. But this is different for us players... He knows all of us. And the main thing is that we know him. We know what he wants, we know the style of football that he likes to play, we know the character that he requires.
"This is a huge edge for us as players and for him as a coach to know every single one of us, our pros, our cons. And that is why we are able to connect in a different way than most national teams. It's a chemistry that I have only seen in club football."
Indeed, Spain have been playing with relentless high pressure combined with lightning one-touch moves and precise passing, giving the impression of a squad where each player has an almost instinctive feel for the positioning of his teammates.
On Friday, Merino will play for and against familiar faces. He played two consecutive Under-21 Euro finals against Germany under De la Fuente, losing in 2017 but bouncing back two years later to win 2-1 against a team including Jonathan Tah, Benjamin Henrichs and Waldemar Anton, all of whom are in the Germany squad he faces in Stuttgart on Friday.
Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz, who was named MVP of the tournament in 2019, are also at Euro 2024.
Merino won his first international tournament with De la Fuente in 2015, playing alongside Rodri and goalkeeper Unai Simon in a 2-0 win against Russia to take the Under-19 Euro title in Greece.
From such veterans to younger members like Pedri, Martin Zubimendi and Marc Cucurella, key players in De la Fuente's squad that won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo 2022, they are all on the same page.
"I have a lot of great memories about playing against Germany. I've been lucky enough to play against them a lot of times over the years, winning or losing, playing them it’s something that make you feel your blood pump stronger in your veins," Merino said.
"We know we are going to face maybe our toughest challenge yet," Merino said.
"They are a well-organised team and will have the support of a packed arena. It's going to be tough. But our mentality is our biggest strength. We are strong together, we believe in each other and this is what we want: playing against the best, beating the best."
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Hugh Lawson)